Wednesday, 20 February 2013

How
do you move on when you don’t even know where you were going in the first
place?

The
Spirit Stalker is dead and I have finally started to erect my life. But I
quickly discover, that just because the structure is built doesn’t mean the
foundation is sturdy. As much as I try to manage my abilities, I can’t
completely control them. The physical impossibility of the relationship I have
with Justice has reached a boiling point; our fundamental problem is my
inability to control myself from absorbing his power, and his fears of touching
me because of it.

As
if that wasn’t deal-breaker enough, a new threat looms on my horizon -
Darklings.

They
are grim reapers of the immortal world who surface every five-hundred-years to
feed off the souls of magical beings who are weak, aimless, lost; those who
have given up and want to move on.

They
also hunt power. Which means, they’re hunting me.

Abandoned
by the one person I need the most, I find myself in Melenia’s realm.There, I’m courted by Siberian, a dangerous
pixie who covets me, hunted by Death personified; all the while hiding my
powers and my ancient bloodline. The pixie prince is alluring, and I feel so
broken and vulnerable. I know giving in to him means giving myself over to him.
But right now, I don’t care. All I want is to feel anything other than the loss
and rejection Justice left me with.

Anything
other than pain.

So
what do I do when I’m scared to be touched, even though I know it’s the only
way to bring my soul back to life?

Excerpt-
Justice’s POV

We
land right outside the gates of KeelinCastle. Extinguishing
ourselves, we descend on the palace.

Walking
authoritatively, we make our way down the nave-like hallway of the castle to
the huge, golden double doors at the end. The throne room.

“Are
you sure that’s where she’ll be?” Derrin asks snidely. “She might be waiting in
her chambers for you.”

“Well
if she is, she’ll be waiting a while.”

“It
could be a good way to get some of your frustrations out,” he says boorishly.

“There’s
more than one way to release frustration,” I threaten him.

“Bring
it, bitch,” he grabs his crotch, not intimidated at all.

Asshole.

I
push open the throne room doors, and as expected, we see the pixie queen
perched on her throne waiting for us.

Emery
surveys us as we approach. Both Derrin and I give a small nod in due respect as
we reach her, but don’t be deceived, we are the supreme strata.

“Your
little human has caused quite a stir,” she says evenly, but I can see the
danger flashing in her eyes.

“She
was the one who was attacked,” I quickly defend Liv.

“Was
she? Or did she bring it on herself?”

My
look becomes more intense. “What are you talking about?”

“My
brother has taken quite a liking to her you know,” Emery says randomly.

Yes,
I’ve noticed.

“If
your brother knows what’s best for him, he will disappear from her life,” I say
through clenched teeth.

Or
I’ll remove him myself.

Emery’s
eyes become razor sharp at my comment - she’s realized something. She slips off
her throne and stalks down the three slate stairs to the floor where Derrin and
I are standing. Like Liv, she is tiny, with long hair blacker than night and
almond eyes just like Melenia’s.

“What
is so special about this human?” she looks up at me, searing the question
straight into my soul.

“Nothing,”
I snap, but Emery knows me. She sees right through my lies.

“Then
it will be nothing if I send the royal guard to take care of her, and rid my
land of such contaminants.”

“Do
it, and I will burn this entire realm to the ground,” I growl.

Her
eyes grow a little wider, but she doesn’t back down from my glare.

“You
love her.”

“No.”

“You
deny it?”

“Yes.”

No.

“You
loved me once,” she says vulnerably.

“What
we had was never love,” I bite, “just sex.”

Ouch. That was harsh, even for
me.

Emery’s
eyebrows crease, and I know I have hurt her deeply.

It’s
not a lie, I never loved her. We did have an intense physical relationship that
included some emotion, but it’s incomparable to what I have with Liv.

She
backs away from me, shifting her eyes between me and Derrin.

Derrin
clears his throat. “Not to interrupt this lover’s quarrel,” that I highly
enjoy watching, he tells me telepathically, “but what exactly did you mean
when you said she brought it on herself?”

Emery’s
full attention falls upon Derrin.

“Siberian
didn’t give me all the details, but apparently she used her powers on him, and
what she did, he described only as provocative.”

I
clench my jaw. Provocative?

Images
of Liv and Siberian reel through my head. What did she do to him? What did
he do to her?

The
thought makes me furious.

I’ve
damaged us so badly; she turned to a threat more dangerous than the Darklings.
And the only thing I can do about it is blame myself.

“So,
is she in trouble?” Derrin goes on. “Is there anything we need to be aware of?”
he hints. “Besides you sending the royal guard and Siberian?”

Emery
contemplates Derrin’s questions for a short second. “Besides Darklings, what
else should there be?” She looks over at me as I stand there still-stocked,
trying not to give away the anger boiling over in my chest at the thought of
Liv and Siberian.

“Who
is this girl, exactly?” she pries deeper now, and I know we are heading into
hazardous territory.

“She’s
no one you have to be concerned about,” I dodge the question. “We just need to
know if you’ve caught wind of any unusual uprisings?”

She
is simultaneously lost and absolutely intrigued as she stares at me decisively.
“No, nothing.”

I
nod, and release an almost nonexistent sigh of relief.

“Do
I have your word she won’t be harmed while she’s in Devonshire?”
I phrase it as a question, but she understands my query is so much more than
that. It’s a threat.

She
nods her displeasure with a small, irritated frown.

We’ve
collected the information we came for, and I’ve had enough of Emery’s probing
stares. Surrendering to the ever-present pull drawing me back to Liv, and preparing
for the shit-storm I’m sure awaits me once I see her, I turn to leave.

I
turn back and glare at her. “Tell him he couldn’t handle her, even if he got
her.” Then I slam the throne room door behind me, the sound echoing throughout
the castle.

That
pixie prick is dead.

Author bio:

Marissa
Carmel has been writing since a young age and although it has always been for
personal enjoyment, she finally decided breakout and share her imagination with
the world. She hopes that her universe is as fun and intriguing to her readers
as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years
ago, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up on her ever growing DVR
library. She is currently working on the sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull
and the third and final installment of the Vis Vires trilogy, Constellation.